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Advanced Grounding Technology for High-Voltage Energy Systems and Critical Energy Infrastructure

A Special Issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073) belonging to the section "F: Electrical Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 October 2026 | Viewed by 1556

Editors

Dr. Hailiang Lu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Electrical Engineering and Automation, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Interests: power system overvoltage; lightning protection and grounding; bioelectromagnetic effects; distributed energy storage
Dr. Yuanchao Hu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, China
Interests: power system overvoltage protection; lightning protection and grounding; security and protection of integrated energy utility tunnels; new electrical materials and applied technology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Power systems serve as the core pillar of energy supply in modern society. As fundamental technology ensuring the safe and stable operation of these systems, as well as the safety of equipment and personnel, grounding technology plays an essential role throughout the entire chain of power generation, transmission, distribution, and utilization. Driven by the rapid development of ultra-high-voltage (UHV) power grids, new energy grid integration, and smart grid construction, power system grounding technology is continuously advancing in fields such as grounding grid design, fault current distribution, grounding resistance optimization, and electromagnetic compatibility. In the context of energy delivery, grounding protection prevents corrosion, applies cathodic protection, and guards against lightning and static electricity. Rail transit grounding technology focuses on traction power supply system grounding, rail potential control, stray current mitigation, and electromagnetic interference suppression, providing technical support for the safe operation of high-capacity transportation systems.

This Special Issue aims to focus on core fields including power system grounding, oil and gas pipeline grounding, and rail transit grounding. It will systematically present and disseminate the latest research findings and practical engineering progress in grounding technology regarding theoretical research, engineering design, simulation modeling, operation and maintenance monitoring, the application of new materials, electromagnetic compatibility, and stray current mitigation, among other aspects.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to:

  • Grounding grid design, fault grounding analysis, and grounding resistance optimization and measurement in power systems;
  • Protection technologies, device design, and material innovations for grounding systems in power systems and critical energy infrastructure;
  • Traction grounding, rail potential control, stray current monitoring and mitigation, and electromagnetic interference suppression in rail transit;
  • On-line monitoring, fault diagnosis, and service life assessment of grounding systems;
  • Numerical simulation, advanced modeling, and optimal design methods for grounding systems;
  • Applications of grounding technologies in new energy grid integration and electromagnetic compatibility for rail transit;
  • Grounding technologies and protection schemes in special environments (e.g., plateau, coastal, and chemical zones).

Dr. Hailiang Lu
Dr. Yuanchao Hu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • grounding technology
  • power systems
  • engineering design
  • simulation and calculation
  • lightning protection
  • overvoltage protection
  • grounding corrosion
  • lifetime assessment
  • grounding measurement
  • grounding design

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1995 KB  
Article
An Online Monitoring Scheme for the Earth Resistance of a Common Earth Electrode
by Wei Li, Kun Zuo, Mingxi Zhu, Yutong Jiang, Yuanjie Li and Lei Lan
Energies 2026, 19(17), 3970; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19173970 - 24 Aug 2026
Viewed by 183
Abstract
High-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission is ideal for long-distance, large-capacity power delivery. A DC common earth electrode can be used for multiple DC lines, reducing the difficulty of land acquisition and lowering investment in grounding leads in power construction. The operating conditions of [...] Read more.
High-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission is ideal for long-distance, large-capacity power delivery. A DC common earth electrode can be used for multiple DC lines, reducing the difficulty of land acquisition and lowering investment in grounding leads in power construction. The operating conditions of DC common earth electrodes are complex, and variations in earth resistance can cause ground potential rise (GPR), excessive step voltage, and other safety hazards. This paper proposes a technical scheme for online monitoring of DC earth resistance, verifies its feasibility through simple simulations, and finally validates the monitoring scheme using actual engineering parameters of the CH common earth electrode project through simulation. This study provides ideas and technical guidance for multiparameter monitoring of DC common earth electrodes and offers data to support the online monitoring of similar electrode groups. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Grounding Technology for High-Voltage Energy Systems and Critical Energy Infrastructure)
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24 pages, 1918 KB  
Article
Complex-Network-Guided High-Risk Substation Identification and Targeted Mitigation of Transformer DC Bias in Multi-Infeed UHVDC Receiving-End Grids
by Jingbo Song, Huanruo Qi, Chen Chen, Liang Zhang, Xiangyang Yan, Jinfeng Zhang, Bochao Yang, Lei Lan and Yuanjie Li
Energies 2026, 19(16), 3866; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19163866 - 18 Aug 2026
Viewed by 254
Abstract
In multi-infeed UHVDC receiving-end grids, transformer DC-bias risk is affected not only by the magnitude of grounding-electrode current, but also by the AC-grid topology, substation grounding condition, voltage-level-dependent current limits, and polarity coordination among grounding electrodes. Conventional single-electrode or magnitude-only assessments may therefore [...] Read more.
In multi-infeed UHVDC receiving-end grids, transformer DC-bias risk is affected not only by the magnitude of grounding-electrode current, but also by the AC-grid topology, substation grounding condition, voltage-level-dependent current limits, and polarity coordination among grounding electrodes. Conventional single-electrode or magnitude-only assessments may therefore fail to identify the substations that require priority mitigation. This paper proposes a full-registry high-risk substation identification and targeted mitigation framework for transformer DC bias in multi-infeed UHVDC receiving-end grids. A field–circuit coupling model is established using the earth-resistivity model, grounding-electrode parameters, substation grounding parameters, transformer winding DC resistances, and AC-grid topology. To address earth-resistivity uncertainty, a measurement-based correction procedure is introduced and verified by an engineering field-measurement case. On this basis, the receiving-end grid is represented as a weighted complex network, and high-risk substations are identified by jointly considering network importance, voltage-dependent limits, multi-mode DC-bias exposure, and over-limit severity. A case study with 898 substations is carried out under four representative grounding-electrode operating modes. The results show that CJ single-electrode operation produces no over-limit substation, whereas YZ single-electrode, same-polarity two-electrode, and opposite-polarity two-electrode operation produce 2, 3, and 2 over-limit substations, respectively. Polarity coordination changes the risk pattern: same-polarity operation mainly aggravates the UHV substations NY UHV and ZMD UHV, whereas opposite-polarity operation relieves them but concentrates the 500 kV risk at SMPP and ZT. Guided by the high-risk ranking, installing 2 Ω neutral-point resistors at only two over-limit 500 kV substations reduces the currents at ZT and SMPP from 5.26 A and 5.68 A to 2.55 A and 0.58 A, respectively, bringing all evaluated substations within their limits and avoiding system-wide retrofitting. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Grounding Technology for High-Voltage Energy Systems and Critical Energy Infrastructure)
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19 pages, 10766 KB  
Article
Analysis of the Impact of Complex Soil Structure and River Flow Velocity on Impulse Current Dispersion in Grounding Devices for River-Crossing Transmission Towers
by Jingli Li, Guangyin Wu, Xian Cheng, Kaixin Wei, Nianyu Bao and Yanan Yang
Energies 2026, 19(16), 3729; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19163729 - 8 Aug 2026
Viewed by 418
Abstract
The lightning withstand performance of transmission lines is critically affected by grounding impulse characteristics, particularly for river-crossing towers where soil conditions are complex. This study develops a coupled seepage–electric field model to evaluate these characteristics under dynamic hydrological influences. A complex soil model [...] Read more.
The lightning withstand performance of transmission lines is critically affected by grounding impulse characteristics, particularly for river-crossing towers where soil conditions are complex. This study develops a coupled seepage–electric field model to evaluate these characteristics under dynamic hydrological influences. A complex soil model is constructed integrating Bernoulli’s laminar flow equation with Richards’ equation for unsaturated seepage; long-term finite-element iterations simulate seepage dynamics, yielding distributed soil conductivity parameters that vary with river flow velocity, water depth, and impermeable layers. These parameters are then coupled with an electroquasistatic Maxwell framework to model impulse current dispersion. Validation against experimental data confirms the model’s accuracy. Results show that seepage increases moisture and lowers resistivity. Increasing flow from static to 10 m/s reduces riverbed pressure from 5.61 × 104 Pa to 1.86 × 104 Pa, shifting the 0 Pa isobar downward by 5.1 m, weakening seepage and raising impulse resistance. A shallower impermeable layer deflects seepage laterally, reducing nearby resistivity. Raising water depth from 5 m to 10 m increases pressure from 1.96 × 104 Pa to 5.61 × 104 Pa, enhancing seepage and lowering resistivity. These findings indicate that grounding design must holistically account for flow velocity, water depth, and subsurface barriers to ensure reliable lightning current dissipation and stable grid operation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Grounding Technology for High-Voltage Energy Systems and Critical Energy Infrastructure)
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39 pages, 47925 KB  
Article
Impulse Grounding Resistance Reduction Measures for Transmission Line Towers in Desert, Gobi, and Barren Land Regions
by Changzheng Deng, Jian Huang and Zechuan Fan
Energies 2026, 19(16), 3714; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19163714 - 7 Aug 2026
Viewed by 358
Abstract
The high soil resistivity in desert, Gobi, and barren land regions limits the lightning current dissipation capability of conventional needle-type grounding electrodes, thereby increasing the lightning-related risk to transmission lines. To address this issue, a three-dimensional transient simulation model of a horizontal needle-type [...] Read more.
The high soil resistivity in desert, Gobi, and barren land regions limits the lightning current dissipation capability of conventional needle-type grounding electrodes, thereby increasing the lightning-related risk to transmission lines. To address this issue, a three-dimensional transient simulation model of a horizontal needle-type grounding electrode equipped with grounding modules was developed in COMSOL Multiphysics (version 6.2) based on electromagnetic field theory and the nonlinear ionization characteristics of soil. The effects of the number, spacing, and downward inclination angle of the needles, as well as the geometric dimensions of the grounding modules, on the impulse grounding resistance and current dissipation characteristics were systematically investigated. The simulation results indicate that the needle-tip effect and mutual shielding effect between adjacent needles are the primary factors governing current dissipation performance. Increasing the number and spacing of the needles improves the grounding performance. Among the discrete inclination angles investigated, intermediate inclination angles generally exhibited relatively low impulse grounding resistance; however, the differences among the inclination angles were small, and the inclination angle corresponding to the minimum impulse grounding resistance varied with the critical soil ionization field strength. Under the baseline conditions of a 10 kA impulse current and an initial soil resistivity of 1000 Ω·m, the resistance reduction provided by the grounding modules decreased from 15.34% for one bilateral needle unit to 12.62% for nine units. Increasing the needle spacing from 0.3 to 1.1 m reduced the impulse grounding resistance by 18.09% and 11.38% for the configurations with and without grounding modules, respectively. Increasing the module radius from 0 to 0.25 m produced a 29.03% reduction in impulse grounding resistance, although the incremental resistance-reduction benefit gradually diminished as the module dimensions increased. These findings provide a theoretical reference for optimizing transmission-line tower grounding systems in high-resistivity desert, Gobi, and barren land regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Grounding Technology for High-Voltage Energy Systems and Critical Energy Infrastructure)
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